And/both…beyond either/or.

For a long time we have lived in an either/or world. Either Communism or Capitalism. Either Socialism or Capitalism. This either/or mentality is extremely limiting because it implies that there are only two ways to do anything.

But we are fast moving beyond an either/or world. We live in a time where we have more options available than we have ever had. These options have materialized as we have gathered more and more knowledge over the centuries. Today, to remain in an either/or world forces us to stunt our lives. Instead, we need to open ourselves to the myriad of options we have in creating our lives. Either/Or is a win-lose world.

Better than either/or is And/Both. This opens us up to all sorts of possibilities. When you operate with this as the norm, the second you have to make choices, you start from a platform of finding win-win solutions. You give yourself permission to pick the best from the many options available to you. Thus, it isn’t Socialism or Capitalism–maybe it is really Socialism and Capitalism where both can co-exist and have respect for each other’s best parts while still recognizing there are some parts you don’t like but can accommodate. Once you can accept and/both, well, heck–maybe then you can see it is an Integrative Economy where the best of Capitalism and Socialism merge into a win-win system. 🙂